Monday, April 7, 2014

18079542

The Museum of Intangible Things

Author: Wendy Wunder
Publisher: Razorbill
Number of Pages: 304
Release Date: April 10, 2014

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Loyalty. Envy. Obligation. Dreams. Disappointment. Fear. Negligence. Coping. Elation. Lust. Nature. Freedom. Heartbreak. Insouciance. Audacity. Gluttony. Belief. God. Karma. Knowing what you want (there is probably a French word for it). Saying Yes. Destiny. Truth. Devotion. Forgiveness. Life. Happiness (ever after).

Hannah and Zoe haven’t had much in their lives, but they’ve always had each other. So when Zoe tells Hannah she needs to get out of their down-and-out New Jersey town, they pile into Hannah’s beat-up old Le Mans and head west, putting everything—their deadbeat parents, their disappointing love lives, their inevitable enrollment at community college—behind them.

As they chase storms and make new friends, Zoe tells Hannah she wants more for her. She wants her to live bigger, dream grander, aim higher. And so Zoe begins teaching Hannah all about life’s intangible things, concepts sadly missing from her existence—things like audacity, insouciance, karma, and even happiness.

An unforgettable read from the acclaimed author of The Probability of Miracles, The Museum of Intangible Things sparkles with the humor and heartbreak of true friendship and first love.


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MY THOUGHTS:

From the moment I saw this book I knew I wanted to read it. I immediately fell for that gorgeous cover, but more than that, I absolutely adore books that focus on strong female friendships. My high school life was all about my girlfriends. Yes, I was obsessed with the cute boy in my algebra class, but my life revolved around my friends, so I'm always happy to see books that focus on the best friend more than the boyfriend. That said, I'm pretty torn on this one. The friendship is strong and is absolutely the focus, but this book wasn't at all what I was expecting and often drifted into unbelievable territory.

The Museum of Intangible Things follow best friends Hannah and Zoe living in a small New Jersey town. Hannah is the responsible one. She is smart and committed to making a decent future for herself. Her parents are divorced and both are wrecks. Her mother is a depressed, non-entity, and her father is a recovering alcoholic who works at the local news station as a weatherman. Even though he could probably help out his daughter for college, he refuses on the basis that she will probably just end up pregnant anyway so it would be a waste of money. In hopes of at least going to the local community college, Hannah runs a fairly successful hot-dog cart at the lake and little league games. Hannah is in love with a classmate who drives an ice cream truck and even though he has a girlfriend, things seem to be progressing in that department after a run-in at a party. When her father falls off the wagon in spectacular fashion and Zoe completely shuts down after the same party, though, Hannah starts to falter.

Zoe is the wild child. She lives with her single mother and her younger brother who has Asperger's Syndrome. The title of the book comes from the "museum" that Zoe runs for her little brother in the basement of their house in order to teach him social cues and human emotions. She puts up installations like "pride" or "laziness" which he studies and tries to internalize. Zoe herself suffers with manic depression, and the story takes a dramatic turn when, after laying in bed catatonic for a week, she all of a sudden shows up at Hannah's house the day before Thanksgiving demanding that Hannah go with her on a road trip. Zoe wants to teach Hannah some life skills like how she does with her brother, only on the road instead of the basement.

This is where the book started to fall apart for me a little which is a shame because I love a good road trip. I don't usually do bullet points in my reviews, but because I'm so torn, it just seems like the best way to show the pluses/minuses.

What I did love about this book:
  • Hannah and Zoe's friendship. I loved how this book focused on their relationship and how close the two girls were. Again, when I was in high school, my life was all about my friends and I found their friendship both admirable and realistic.
  • The "museum". I loved the idea of Zoe trying to teach her little brother about human emotions through a wide array of rotating installations.
  • The romance. Ok, I didn't LOVE the romance, but there were some pretty sweet moments. I hated that Hannah's love interest was still involved with his long term girlfriend when things start to develop between them. Also, at one point he grabs her hand and puts it on his dick after they've kissed, like, once--which is just no.
  • The way mental illness was handled. Mental illnesses like manic depression are hard to write about, and I always admire authors who are willing to write about the subject. 
  • The epilogue.
  • The writing. There is some beautiful writing to be found throughout the novel. Even though I didn't end up loving this, I would definitely pick up another book by this author.
What I didn't love:
  • While I really liked their close friendship, I never really connected with either girl. I wanted to shake Hannah for putting up with her stupid father and wish she would have put her foot down a bit more with the love interest. On the other hand, Zoe was just SO much. Again, manic depression is a serious topic, but when she starts her downward spiral, I just found it so hard to connect with her. 
  • I don't want to give anything away, so I'm not going to touch the second/road trip part of the story, but I just found so many things that happen completely unbelievable. There is supposed to be a feeling of is it happening...but just too much happens that had me shaking my head or rolling my eyes. 
So, yeah, overall I really liked certain aspects of The Museum of Intangible Things while not connecting with other parts. I admire the author's writing style and loved the strong female friendship, but wish that the second part of the novel would have stayed more grounded. If you enjoy books that focus more on friendships than romance and can easily suspend your disbelief, you may really enjoy this one. Don't go into this book expecting a light-hearted road-trip story like I did, however, because that is not at all what you will get.

If you've read this one, I would LOVE to talk to somebody about it. If you are so inclined, please PM me through twitter or send me an email.

*I received an advanced reader's copy of this novel from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange of an honest review.*



22 comments:

  1. I've been waiting for this book for months, so I'm a bit disappointed already after reading your review. I, too, was expecting a fun road trip, but it sounds like the book is a lot more serious than I've been thinking it would be. Hm. I'm definitely going to check out some more reviews before I decide whether or not to buy it now.

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    1. It definitely wasn't nearly as light as I was expecting which wouldn't have been a deal breaker if the book wouldn't have drifted so far. I hope you enjoy it if you do decide to give it a go. Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. I haven't gotten to read this one yet, but I am sure I will want to chat once I read it!
    Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings

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    1. Definitely hit me up once you've read it. Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. Oh darn, I hate it when you're looking forward to a book and then it's disappointing. I have Wunder's other book, The Probability of Miracles, on my bookshelf, but I haven't read it yet. I too thought this one looked promising. Thanks for the review!

    Taylor @ Reading is the Thing

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    1. Me, too. I couldn't wait to start this one and while I did enjoy parts of it, and I definitely didn't love it like I hoped. This was the first book of hers I've read. I did like the writing style, so I'll have to check out her first book. Thanks for stopping by!

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  4. I really wanted to read this one, but I didn't get my hands on a galley. After reading your review I'd still like to read it, even though I think I'd have some of the same issues. Sounds like the road trip isn't the best part, which kinda bums be out, but I'm glad that you still enjoyed the book!

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    1. I love a good road trip--which we've discussed in the past--so it was a bummer that it was the weakest part of the book. Hit me up after you've read it. I'd love to hear what you think. Thanks for stopping by!

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  5. That cover is gorgeous! I honestly hadn't paid much attention to this book prior to your review, having never read anything else from the author. I actually think I might like it more, though, *because* it's a deeper look into these girls' lives and not a fluffy road trip book as I (also) originally thought. Also, this: "Also, at one point he grabs her hand and puts it on his dick after they've kissed, like, once--which is just no." AGREED.

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    1. Isn't it. It immediately drew me in even though I'd never heard anything about the author. Honestly, my issue wasn't that it was more serious than I was expecting. That seems to happen to me all the time, lol, but the second part just wasn't believable. I'd LOVE to talk to you about it if you do pick it up. And yeah, she didn't seem to mind it, but I was like: dude, wtf do you think you are doing?

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  6. Oh man. That incident with the forced cop a feel is such a huge turn off. As much as I think this book will be something I would eventually enjoy, that alone will keep me away.

    Thanks, Natalie.

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    1. Yeah, it was pretty gross, imo. Other parts of the love story were actually pretty sweet, but that one moment kept me from liking him. Thanks for stopping by!

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  7. Hmmm…I'm torn about this one. I like the idea of the strong friendship and the museum (and sadly, the guy putting her hand on his dick sounds realistic). But not connecting with the characters…that's usually a bad sign for me. And then you've completely piqued my interest with what happens during this road trip. Do things become fantastical? So I may have to just pick this one up to find out what happens that's so unbelievable! ~Pam

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    1. Do, pick it up and then email me so we can talk about it! I hope you enjoy it if you do give it a try. The strong female friendship is definitely the best part. Thanks for stopping by!

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  8. I've been looking forward to this one. I really liked The Probability of Miracles (well, liked might not be the right word considering the subject matter but you know what I mean) so I have high expectations. I do love a good, solid friendship in a book so it sounds like a winner!

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    1. I'm not familiar with her first book, so I'll have to check it out. The friendship is definitely the highlight of this book. I hope you love it if you decide to pick it up. Thanks for stopping by!

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  9. I thought it was going to be a fun one, and two reasons why I wanted to read it were the friendship and the road trip. I'm kind of disappointed now though, though I'm glad it is centred around their friendship, and kudos to the author for tackling those subjects, because what she does for her brother, how heart-warming is that? Buuuuut, this Also, at one point he grabs her hand and puts it on his dick after they've kissed would just ruin it for me completely. Ugh. I mean, really? There's forward and then there's forward. Still I'll probably check it out for myself, it does seem to have more positives than negatives, so *fingers crossed* Glad you enjoyed it overall, even though it does sound like it has some issues. :)

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    1. It definitely has some issues, but I did enjoy it for the most part. I wish more authors focused on friendship, so I'm hoping this does well for that reason alone. I hope you enjoy it if you do decide to pick it up. Thanks for stopping by!

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  10. I fell in love with this because of the beautiful cover, too! I like the idea of focusing on the friendship, so it's a shame the MCs didn't draw you in, but the positives seem to outnumber the negatives, so I will defo still be giving this a go!

    Mands @ The Bookish Manicurist

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    1. I love the cover so much. I hope you enjoy it if you do pick it up. Email me after you've read it. I'm dying to talk to somebody about it. Lol.

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  11. There was something about this book that just didn't grab my attention, so I haven't read it. I really like that it's focused on the girls' friendship and does touch on a couple of disorders. The whole ice cream truck guy thing sort of bothers me! A) He has a girlfriend B) moving a little too fast there buddy. I hate to see that the second half of the book didn't work for you. I hate when that happens, especially when it should be a fun roadtrip. And dude, wtf is wrong with Hannah's dad? He thinks she'll just go to college and wind up pregnant? Uh?!

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    1. Dude, the dad was the freaking worst. He could totally have helped her out, but was just a gross jerk. I wanted to like the romance, and actually did for the most part, but yeah the girlfriend and the pushiness were major turn-offs for me. The second half really did fall apart which was such a bummer. Thanks for stopping by! It's always good to see your face. :)

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Hello, there! Thanks for taking the time to comment. I read each and every one and will do my best to respond--usually on your blog instead of on mine. I will, however, always answer direct questions. Due to serious time restraints, this blog is now an award free zone, but I appreciate the thought!